Beth and Luke's Italian Holiday

Miko was still naked and needed a piss. "Oh what the fuck. She'll not get far and soon come back." He said to himself. "Now where's my phone?" Miko searched, stopped while he went to the ensuite and then searched again. He could not find a phone of course. "Oh, shit I'll have to wait for Alicia to fetch me," he shouted to no-one.

Bethany hobbled down the track and got her feet cut on the stones as she went. At the gate she turned around but could not see Miko coming after her so she climbed over. On the outside she looked up and down the road, uncertain which way to go. She rapidly decided down would be easier and it was the way back to the hotel.

She stumbled along warily, not wanting to be caught by either Miko pursuing her or anyone driving up. The next two miles took at least an hour of painful limping for Bethany. The sun had risen high towards midday before she came to a cottage on the roadside.

Here she found an old woman working in her garden. Naturally this woman only spoke Italian so exchanges were limited and slow. When the woman saw Bethany's feet she took her inside and attended to her cuts. It was easy for to her to understand that Bethany needed help. She offered Bethany water to drink and sat her in the shade to cool down.

Bethany could not explain exactly what had happened to her but the woman realised she was running away from someone. It was obvious that Bethany would not be able to walk. She went on to indicate to Beth to stay at the back of the house. Over the rest of the day they slowly became friends.

The woman communicated to Bethany that there would no more buses that day or on the next day which was Sunday. Beth slept at the house that night, thankful of a safe place.

On Sunday morning the old lady left Beth and went to the little village church. Beth was ready to panic. She had no way of knowing who this lady would be talking to. An hour later she returned with a younger woman who she introduced as her daughter.

The daughter said her name was Gianna and she spoke a little English and French. Beth understood that she would able to come in her car for her on the next day. She would drive her to her hotel on the coast. Bethany was glad of the offer. Her shoes had been lost and the only clothes she had were dirty and torn. Gianna tried her phone but the location in the hills blocked any signal. Beth was unable to contact Luke that day.

Late on Monday morning Gianna returned with her small Fiat to take Bethany down the mountain back to town. Gianna asked Beth if she wanted to go to the police. Beth was aware that she had asked Miko for a smoke and it would be just her word against his about what had happened. She said no and that she only wanted to get back to her husband. They arrived back at her hotel in the afternoon.

Meanwhile Alicia had waited until Saturday afternoon for a phone call from Miko. When he had not called she set off for the villa. Driving up the narrow road she swerved away from one rocky side and dropped a wheel over the other edge. She then had to walk a mile to get help. Alicia found the village bar in the next village and easily got some help from the drinkers.

Two men volunteered to help and drove her back in a truck to the where her car was. They pulled and pushed and finally got the car out. A quick check showed it was too damaged to use. The men took her up to the villa and to Miko. It was now late and would soon be getting dark. Miko said they would wait at the villa until morning and then call a taxi from Ali's phone.

Luke had returned to their hotel and waited for Beth. He was angry and confused. It was Beth who insisted on going to the villa with Miko in the first place. He blamed her for getting them into this position. Now he wondered if this was what she and Miko had planned.

Next day, Sunday, she did not return. He assumed that she would be going with Miko and Ali after all. By late Monday morning he had got his things together and drove back up to the villa to look for Beth one more time. On the way up he was forced to pull over to let a taxi coming down pass by. As it slowed he recognised Miko sitting in the back with someone else. He guessed that could be Beth. He carried on up to the gate and found it was locked. So she must be still with him.

With no hope of speaking to his wife he turned round and headed for Nice airport. Once there he got the first flight out.

That afternoon when Bethany got into their room she found Luke had left the hotel. However the room had been paid for three more days. She assumed he had continued along the coast and then would return for her. She still could not find her phone so she rang his from the hotel but got no answer. By Thursday she had had enough of waiting and caught the train to Nice. She flew back to London on Friday.

Back at their London home Luke reviewed his options. Should he dump Beth and split everything? There would be no problems as flat is rented and both had separate bank current accounts. Their savings account was in joint names but still required two signatures to access. He looked around for a new flat and packed his things ready to move on. He made an appointment on Wednesday and saw a lawyer to get a divorce underway. Yes, he would ditch the bitch.

By Friday afternoon Luke was satisfied everything was in place to end their marriage. Somewhat sadly he lay on the sofa to reflect on the recent past. A noise at the door roused him. He stood up and went into the hall. The front door burst open. There was Bethany looking at him, anger in her face like he had never seen before.

"You bastard." Beth screamed at him. "You just left me with that nasty old sod. Then I couldn't get away, you hid my shoes. We would have had to wait for either you to return or for his woman to fetch us. Where did you go to? Why didn't you come back for me?" She did not stop shouting at him. "Do you know what they intended for me? I'm divorcing you for desertion."

Luke quietened her down and demanded to know what she was talking about. As far as he was concerned she had left him to live with a millionaire. He wanted a divorce from her.

"Sit down and tell me, Beth." Luke pointed to her to sit with him. "Bethany, I talked to Alicia when I got back to their house. She convinced me you and they had already sorted out what you were doing. You wanted to go with them." He held her hands. "I went back to the villa on Monday but it was locked up and empty. I thought you had really gone."

She told Luke that she had had enough of being trapped with her rapist and fought him when he came near her. Bethany continued with her side of the story. She knew she ought to report Miko to police, but by then there was no proof that she was raped, just her word against his. Would the local police even believe a foreign holidaymaker? She walked to the nearest house where an old lady took her in and took care of her feet.

"I never wanted to go with them, believe me please Luke," she begged.

Beth started to cry but continued her story. On the following Monday Beth got a lift back to Alassio and returned to hotel late in the afternoon. By then she was tired and footsore, ready to ask for forgiveness.

She wanted to explain that she was also drugged. She was still mad at Luke for not staying and for not coming to find her anyway. She was mad at Miko and Alicia. She knew now that they had wanted a foursome. She guessed that Ali had declined knowing that Luke would not do it. Ali would not join them for that reason but Miko went ahead anyway. He wanted to get her to accompany them to Sicily, at least.

Beth said she had waited two days more for Luke to return. She had assumed that, in a fit of pique, he had gone on along the coast as they both had meant to do. She had refused to go to Sicily with the Miko and Ali. She had tried to phone Luke but kept getting no response. When Luke did not come back for her she checked out and came home.

She told him, "I ought to divorce you for abandoning me when I as in danger."

Luke now realised that he and Beth had both been drugged. She actually wanted him to save her but he was in no condition to understand that or to do anything about it. With hindsight she realised now that it appeared that she helped in abusing and humiliating Luke. It was to the extent that he had to get out in order to protect himself.

Luke and Beth had both said they wanted to divorce but now they saw that they were themselves both victims of the Miko and Alicia.

"Forgive me, Luke, please my love. I didn't know what he was doing to me. I was off my head on what he'd given me."

"Oh Beth, there isn't anything to forgive really is there. You were abused. I was stupid not to have seen what was going to happen. Why did we go up to the house anyway? I let you down."

"Well I didn't see it either. And you were abused as well. I don't blame you for getting out, Luke. I was just pissed that you didn't rescue me."

"I thought you were in with their plan when he did what he did. Alicia more or less told me you'd agreed to go along with them. I fucked up."

"We both fucked up didn't we?" Beth reached out to Luke.

"Trust me now Luke. We must never get into that situation again." Beth pleaded.

"I will Beth, if you can trust me. I promise never to let you get into danger again."

The next weeks and months were difficult times. Emotions of guilt, distrust and remorse flowed between them and strained their marriage. In fact it was touch and go whether they would stay together or not. Finally they accepted of the reality of their situation and recommitted themselves to each other.

Two years later, shortly after the birth of their first baby, Beth and Luke sat together in their living room. Luke was reading the evening paper. "Hey, look at this Beth, 'East European sex slave traffickers arrested'. That picture is Miko and Alicia."